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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Making Music

I have a confession to make... I have no musical talent whatsoever. Many years ago, when I was a regular churchgoer, I organized a praise choir at our church... recruiting, scheduling, promoting... the things I AM good at. Because the church was grateful for my efforts, they allowed me to participate in the choir, even giving me a little egg to shake in the rhythm section. Then one day, I got to practice and both my microphone and eggie were gone... I could still participate, but just so no one would hear me! Since I was well aware of my shortcomings, even though I did enjoy the experience, I wasn't sad not to be making a spectacle of myself on the Sundays when we performed.

Now, I don't sing out loud, unless of course, the Guinness is flowing and there are Irish Drinking Songs being played... then I'll belt them out along with the rest of the bar crowd. Pitch and key don't count there.

However, I am a strong believer in being part of the music industry. AND I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN ME! I host regular House Concerts, bringing nationally touring bands and singer/songwriters into my home for the enjoyment of my friends and neighbors and hopefully to the financial benefit of the artists. I've been working with an organization called NRoute Entertainment to do the same in listening room environments in North Platte. Everyone can participate by attending these live music shows and supporting the artists and the venues.

However, we all can take it one step further. In this day and age of independent musicians and grass-roots social media, we fans are the major record labels. We are the public relations arms promoting our artists - posting about their upcoming shows, links to their websites, pushing mp3 downloads and album sales. Now on the backside, we can actually help them produce the music.

I have two artist friends, whom I've hosted in my home and I highly recommend who are asking their fans to help them get their next album projects off the ground.

First is NEELY, made up of the husband and wife duo Jeremy and Kaci Neely. You can find their project on Kickstarter. At $2,155 pledged, they are at 61% of their goal with six days left! It would be a shame if a fabulous project like this didn't get off the ground because of funding. It takes a lot of money to make an album, and the artists invest a large part themselves, in addition to the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make the music.

Second is Jesse Terry. This incredible singer/songwriter is using Pledge Music to finance his project. He's only just begun and is 11% toward his goal.

The music industry is a cut-throat business. The mega record labels and the big radio conglomerates have it sewn up neatly, with little room for independent music to make its way to our ears. We can find it on live shows and streaming on independent internet radio stations, neither of which are very lucrative for the artists. If we want to continue to have great independent music available to us, we have to get in on the ground floor and actually have a financial stake in making it happen.

Oh, and I should tell you, the artists have offered great swag if you pledge! So check out their music, then check out their projects, then pledge. It only takes a few clicks of the mouse button!

Thanks for stopping by. For the price of a few cups of coffee, you can help finance these great music projects!

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About Me

My personal motto is to help people have fun! I love living in Nebraska and think it is a whole "undiscovered country" for most Americans and international visitors. I showcase the wonderful things about living here, and gently chide those who need it! I'll also weigh in on a wide variety of issues such as entrepreneurship, craft beer, Deadliest Catch, live music, historic preservation and very infrequently, current events.